The Neighborhood

At the Stoneybrook Neighborhood Association meeting in December, I met someone who used to live in the building next door to me and through our conversation discovered a bit more about the history of both buildings. Fifteen years ago when he bought the place, it had reputation as a drug house and had been condemned by the city. Just as Frank began to rehab it, a local film-maker asked if he could use it to shoot a scene film he was making. Frank had already begin cleaning up the place when they asked if they could add some the graffiti to portray the blight of the main character’s neighborhood of Dorchester.

In 1997, the file Squeeze came out and in one of the first scenes, the three friends walk past my place and onto the porch of the building next door, where they stand talking with my porch in the background. The porch was remodeled recently, so looks a bit different, but the tan shingles are very recognizable.

For a low-budget film, it’s quite well done, though difficult to watch with it’s gritty portrayal of gang violence and urban social decay. Finding out how my place became the backdrop to the film also helps me appreciate how much work my neighbors put into the street before I arrived.

Yesterday I was rode to my regular dissertation coffee shop, Sweet Finnish, on Centre St., only to see that it wasn't opened yet. In the interest of time, I decided to continue down to JP Licks, my other writing spot. Just I was leaving, one of the Sweet Finnish regulars came in and informed me that it had suddenly gone out of business.

It's always sad to see a good coffee shop go down, especially when it had become part of my writing routine. I liked the quiet, Scandinavian feel to it, with the smells of the bakery in background. JP LIcks is a great place as well, but I'll miss having the chance to enjoy both.

Sunday evening was the annual Lantern Parade at Jamaica Pond, a community event which involves walking around the pond with lanterns lit. Kids come in their costumes, music is playing, a cider press provide fresh apple cider--it's a great scene.

Tonight as I was riding home from work I passed more tricker-treaters in Brookline and JP than I have for as long as I can remember, and I realized that it's been quite some time since I lived in a residental neighborhood with enough families and kids to support conventional Halloween festivities. I didn't think to buy any candy because I just assumed that no-one would be out--this is how warped my perspect got after living in Allston for so long.

In the space of two hours on Friday afternoon, I closed on a condo in Jamaica Plain and picked up a fixed gear bike at Ace Wheelworks in Somerville. Sorry to drop this news on you without any run-up, but that's just the way it has to be. I can't really explain why I haven't written about any of this all summer, but it was apparently too much to both blog about major life decisions and make them at the same time.

Buying this condo happened rather quickly--I got my real estate agent on June 21 and I closed on August 24th--so I haven't had time for much else besides work, dissertation, and a bit of summer fun here and there. I realized during this process that I've been unconciously cultivating an image of myself as a rootless nomad, about to pick up and move at any moment, when in fact there's little evidence for this--after all, I lived in my place in Allston for 7 years. But it was a frame of mind that I think grew from the kind of transient neighborhood Allston was and from my ongoing ambivalence about being in Boston.

But now I'm settling in, at least for the time being, and it feels good. I'm excited about my little corner of JP with it's Minton Stables community garden and Franklin Franklin just a short walk in either direction. I'm excited about the chance to learn from being in a vibrant urban neighborhood, and trying a new relationship to place.

I closed on Friday and moved in on Saturday, which happened to be the hottest day of summer. In a true test of friendship, Cathy, Nirmal, Cheryl, Andy, Alan all showed up to give me a hand, and we managed to sweat our way through the move in an efficient three and half hours. Thanks everyone--it was a great way to start things off.

I'm also beginning a new relationship with my bike--a fixed gear Redline 9-2-5 --which has been a joy to ride so far. I'm still getting used to the new connection we have, in particular the obligation to keep peddling--all the time--but it's clearly the best way to commute every day in all weather without the hassles of unnecessary maintenance.

I'm finding that a bit of fixity can be a good thing, whether it be in mortgages or gears, and I'm glad to have the chance to experience both.